Nonprofit Video Production
Take Fundraising to the Next Level with Emotional Storytelling
Customer Reviews
Why should I use nonprofit video production?
Video is one of the most powerful fundraising tools on earth and we make these every day. We help nonprofits shatter fundraising records by producing awesome video content with an emphasis on creative storytelling, inspiring content, and crystal-clear messaging.
Raising awareness
Nonprofits often face the challenge of raising awareness about their cause or mission. In some cases, there are even misconceptions. For example, many people think Make-A-Wish only grants wishes to terminally ill children, but this is not true. Video can be an effective way to communicate this information to a wide audience, and can help nonprofits engage with potential supporters.
Fundraising
Finally, video can be an awesome tool for fundraising. Nonprofits can use video to tell their stories, explain the importance of their mission, and explain why donors should get involved. It’s all about inspiring people to want to give back so your organization can hit your fundraising goals. One of the best ways to take advantage of the power of video is to create a fundraising video story that plays at a fundraising gala. This is the perfect time to share in front of your attentive audience. There’s no better time to play this video than right before “the ask” of the evening. We can produce an incredible emotional story to show right before donations are collected, and your supporters will be in a higher emotional state, which improves your overall numbers for the night.
Recruiting volunteers
Nonprofits can use video to help recruit volunteers. For example, we can create a video that introduces potential volunteers to existing volunteers who showcase the work that your volunteers do for your organization. Videos can share testimonials from current volunteers. Hearing from real people who have volunteered with your organization can be a powerful way to motivate others to get involved. Stories can be shared about the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others, the opportunity to learn new skills, or the chance to build connections with like-minded individuals. We can also create a video that explains how to sign up to volunteer or shows how volunteers can complete tasks through training on video.
Demonstrating impact
Nonprofits often need to demonstrate to potential donors, partners, and other stakeholders, how money is being used. A video is a great way to show them how funds were spent in the past, what the results of that spending did, and can help to illustrate the need for ongoing support.
Eve’s Story: Showing the Impact of a Second Wish
After being diagnosed with a brain tumor at six years old, Eve and her family endured surgery, treatment, and years of uncertainty. When they learned that the Marty Lyons Foundation grants second wishes to children who continue to face life-threatening illnesses, Eve chose an experience centered on her love of animals.
Her wish brought the family to San Diego for behind-the-scenes visits with animal sanctuaries. Interviews with Eve and her mother explain what the experience meant, while footage from the trip lets viewers see the excitement, connection, and lasting memories made possible by the foundation’s supporters.
Why This Nonprofit Story Works
- Eve’s experience gives the audience a clear human perspective.
- The interviews explain the family’s challenges and why a second wish mattered.
- Footage from the trip shows supporters’ contributions becoming a real experience.
- The story connects the foundation’s mission to joy, hope, and lasting family memories.
Engaging supporters
Similar to demonstrating impact, non profits often need to engage with their supporters to keep them informed about the organization’s work. This is another way video can be a power communication tool, keeping supporters engaged and invested in the mission. Some ideas could be sharing regular updates and news on a project.
Most of our nonprofit videos focus on awareness & fundraising. After we’re done making those videos, we can help with a video marketing strategy to distribute those videos to the right audiences.
The donor’s journey starts with the awareness of your mission. Then continues through consideration, donations, loyalty, & activism (even volunteering in some cases.) Even better, consistently putting out video content can help grow your fundraising efforts exponentially. We can provide different creative strategies to maximize your video marketing content without breaking the bank.
Creative nonprofit fundraising ideas using video production
Success stories
Another effective way to use video for fundraising is to share success stories of people who have benefited from your organization’s work. This could be presented by telling some’s story and how the nonprofit help them via interview-style video.
Challenge video
We all know how viral the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge went in 2014 which raised about $220M worldwide. A challenge video is a type of fundraising video that encourages people to take part in a specific challenge to support the mission. This can be a great way to involve supporters in your fundraising efforts and skyrocket awareness and untapped supporters who did not know about your organization before.
What differentiates Pennylane?
Pennylane began as a live event video production company. We started this way back in 2001 and eventually added nonprofit video production to our services. Because we cut our teeth on live events, it helped us be more efficient by telling the story and troubleshooting on the fly. It also allowed us to produce high-quality videos with fewer crew members. In the end, this saves our video production clients money and time with video production services.
We are well known for our flagship interview video production style. We also refer to these videos as unscripted videos. The reason we love this style is that the characters come across as genuine and trustworthy as possible. This style compliments emotional nonprofit stories very well and allows the viewer to eavesdrop on the conversation, just like when watching a documentary. This is very powerful and engaging.
We are reliable and experienced, making the video production process very simple by guiding our nonprofit clients through every step of the way. We are flexible, whether we are working with clients who prefer micromanaging or macromanaging their projects.
We have extensive experience working with local and international nonprofit organizations and telling compelling and engaging stories on film. We have had the honor of working with organizations like Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, The Marty Lyons Foundation, AHRC, Sunrise Association, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, among others.
Stages of the nonprofit video process
Discovery Meeting
This is our initial call to learn more about what is motivating you to use video production. Maybe you’re a seasoned marketing professional who has been burned by a prior video vendor in the past, and you’re looking for a better company that can run with the process, allowing you to get back to other aspects of your job. Perhaps you’re a social media manager or marketing agency looking to outsource video content from a corporate video production company. Maybe your company has never used video before, and you don’t know where to start. Regardless of the reason, we can help.
Pre-Production
This is where we properly plan your video production process. This may include scriptwriting, storyboarding, casting, location scouting, pre-interviewing, scheduling, concept development, talent scouting, video marketing strategies & research. This allows us to cover anything & everything that’s required before any filming or editing. Planning is a key part of any successful venture which is certainly the same for video production. This is where we can decide what size crew we need, what type of videos we’re creating & most importantly, the video’s messaging. Once we have narrowed down our video production goals & figured out the video’s messaging, we can go in knowing exactly what to do. This allows us to be as efficient as possible during the actual video production process.
Production
Now that we’ve finished the pre production process, next we move onto production. This is where our professional video production crew begins to bring your vision to life. Production is the filming process and can be broken down into two parts, video and audio. We use video equipment with the latest technology that allows us to deliver video content at the highest quality, but the real magic is created from our years of experience and unique style. High-quality video production is not just pressing REC on a camera, it takes into consideration things like professional lighting, professional audio, proper composition and framing, background aesthetics and other factors within a location. We have to consider if this video shoot requires a director, director of photography, additional camera operators, producer, interviewer, production assistants, sound person, licensed drone pilot, actors, hair and makeup, etc. Certain videos will require certain types of shots. For example, if it’s an awareness video, we will need to film talking head interview(s) as well as any corresponding b-roll.
Post Production
Now that we’ve filmed all of our necessary content, it needs to be edited in our professional video editing software. This is where we take hours of the raw footage we filmed, mixed with the high quality audio we captured, and condense it down into a suitable length that gets our messaging across. For example, if we were editing an awareness video, then during the post production process we’d be extracting gold nuggets from any interviews we filmed as well as adding any related b-roll visuals to periodically cover the talking head. We can also add animated motion graphics as well as create unique sound design to spice up the look and feel of your video. Paired with our professional lighting, color grading helps give your video a more cinematic look, making the final product more polished and professional. Music supervision and audio mastering is another key part of what makes our videos stand out and is sometimes what can inspire viewers to take action. Once completed, we’ll put it through the highest level of quality control to make sure the video’s ready to be encoded, exported and then delivered to the client for their approval.
Video Delivery
The video’s been shot & edited & now it’s ready for delivery. First, we’ll send a draft version to make sure everyone’s on the same page with the end result. If needed, we can complete any revisions that are deemed necessary. Once all revisions have been made, and we’ve decided that there’s nothing left to change, it’s now ready for client approval. As soon as the client gives their approval, we can export a final master version in a secure link via email, so they can download, view and implement their video production. We love to hear feedback from our previous clients so writing a Google Review or providing a testimonial isn’t necessary, but for us, it’s the perfect way to end the production process. It allows us to see the project full circle, commend members of our production team, and pinpoint areas where we could improve in providing the best video production experience possible.
Whether it’s filming an awareness video telling people about your cause, or a recruitment video looking to gain more advocates, donors and members, or maybe a live-event fundraiser that can be live streamed to your organization’s followers. Give your charity or nonprofit organization the opportunity to create an emotional and positive impact with one of our nonprofit video productions.
Let’s make you stand out
With so many charities available to the world, video is a powerful marketing tool to make a louder noise in the sea of asking for donations. We can help your message be a priority to those potential donors, so you can reach your goals and achieve your mission.
Igniting emotion within viewers is what we do best. In most cases there are tears of joy at the end. In order to ask for help, it’s important for us as storytellers to get real with the perspective donors and let them feel what’s really going on with those you help. Bigger emotion often leads to larger fundraising.
We understand the importance of your budget. That’s why we are very active with designing the right production and strategy to maximize every dollar invested in your project.
Let’s break your fundraising record this year!
800-856-9084
We serve Long Island, NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island, Suffolk County, Nassau County, The Hamptons, Westchester County, and beyond.
800-856-9084
We serve Long Island, NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Staten Island, Suffolk County, Nassau County, The Hamptons, Westchester County, and beyond.